Tag Archives: 3D printing

Extending their da Vinci range, XYZprinting have announced two new 3D printers at IFA this year, along with 3D project curriculum packs to help teachers and educators.

The first new model is in the mini series which is aimed at families and the home market. The da Vinci Color Mini is a fused filament fabrication (FFF) printer with an improved air fan for increased print quality and an auto load filament to ensure the filaments are loaded easily and correctly, which is great for family use. The autolevelling removable print bed helps objects stay straight, stick well for a good model and then be removed easily once printed. The internal volume is 13 x 13 x 13 cm which allows reasonably size models to be printed and the printer also features a 5 inch colour touch panel for user friendly and intuitive experience. List price is GB£1599, which isn’t cheap but is affordable for the keen and enthusiastic family. I imagine it would be good choice for smaller schools too.

The second model is the da Vinci AiO (All in One) and it’s decidedly more advanced. A bit bigger, with a 20 x 20 x 15 cm volume, the AiO is able to print in full-colour using colour texture inkjet printing 3D structure, which combines inkjet printing with FFF 3D printing. That’s great but in addition to full colour printing the AiO has a built in engraver and a 3D scanner. The press release doesn’t go into detail into how this works, or the limitations of the 3D scanner but it sounds like we’ve almost got a 3D copier here. That’s pretty cool. List price is GB£2699.

Finally, XYZprinting have a selection of 3D projects to support the STEAM curriculum. That’s STEAM as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths rather than a popular software delivery platform. These packs help teachers engage with there students using 3D technology to effectively explore the topic areas. The packages will be divided into age brackets for ages 5-11, 11-14 and 14-18 and the content in each age category will be relevant across different subjects. Price to be confirmed.

With 3D printing, the colour of the substrate determines the colour of the model and as most 3D printers only hold one or two reels of material, it’s held back the visual appeal of the models. Anything detailed needs to be painted in post-production.

That’s all changing now as XYZprinting have announced the da Vinci Color 3D Printer which combines an inkjet and 3D printer, colouring the material as it goes. Because the colour is injected into the substrate, there’s no need to pause to change spools. The da Vinci Color uses fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing and can take advantage of 16 million of shades using its CMYK palette. The print bed is 20 cm x 20 cm x 15 cm in build volume and there’s complementary software to tweak models for colour.

The printer has 4 ink cartridges (20 ml) which are easily replaced by the owner with a recommended price of €65. A new PLA (a polyester for 3D printing) was exclusively developed for the new da Vinci Color. This 600 g transparent coil is also certified DEHP-free & heavy metal-free at a recommended price of €39.

The da Vinci Color will be available throughout the network of XYZprinting partner resellers at a recommended price of €3 599. It’s pricey for home use, but I think that’ll be snapped up by small businesses and education.

If you happen to be at IFA, call into their stand at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, Hall 13 Booth 102, Messedamm, Berlin.

While 3D printers struggle to find a place in homes and offices, they’ve revolutionised the world of prototyping and the development of “one offs” within design and manufacturing. SE3D hope to push 3D printing into education and science, and Todd discusses the possibilities with Dr Mayasar Lim from SE£D.

SE3D’s printer differs from other devices through the substrate used for the models. Instead of plastic or metal, it uses organic materials to build the structure. By using plant or animal calls, the model can then be used within demonstrations, experiments and trials to show the response to, say, enzymes or therapeutic treatments.

Aimed at both education and laboratory markets, the basic printer unit is around US$4,000 and SE3D can provide a package for schools that includes curricular materials along with reagents and other materials.

Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com.

“Blind people see with their hands” is kind of a cliched notion. Overall, everyone “sees” with all of the senses they have available. Visually impaired people just rely on their non-visual senses a bit more than others, depending on the situation. And while visually impaired people can usually comprehend much about the world around them, items that are flat, two-dimensional, or simply out of reach can be elusive. A company called 3DPhotoWorks is hoping to change that using 3D printers.

3DPhotoWorks has spent the last seven years developing a now-patented process that converts any conventional painting, drawing, collage or photograph into a “3D Tactile Fine Art Print.” The end result is a three-dimensional creation that can be touched and held, greatly increasing a visually impaired person’s ability to “see” the original item:

Using their fingertips, the blind experience 3D Tactile Fine Art Prints through tactile feedback. This feedback creates a mental picture that allows them to ‘see’ the art, often for the first time. To further assist in creating a ‘mental picture,; sensors are embedded throughout the prints that when touched, activate custom audio that describes what is transpiring at that exact coordinate.

The ultimate goal of 3DPhotoWorks is to make its 3D Tactile Fine Art Prints available to museums and other public institutions. The company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project.

When exactly does your milk go bad? There’s a helpful “sell-by” date printed on the packaging to give you an idea of the liquid’s shelf life. But at best, that date is an educated guess. Of course, sometimes it’s really obvious when milk has gone sour. But sometimes, it’s not so easy to tell. Fortunately for me, Jen has a keen skill for detecting when food products have gone bad. But on my own, I know I’ve consumed my fair share of food items that were probably better sent down the drain or into the trash.

Once again, new technology comes to the rescue in the battle against spoiled milk. Using 3-D printing, engineers have developed a cap that can be used with milk jugs to determine when the milk has gone bad. The cap uses a special sensor that’s able to detect changes in electrical signals caused by the proliferation of bacteria. To test your milk, all you need to do is tip the container until some of the milk comes in contact with the cap. From there, the cap will indicate if the milk is still good or not.

Researchers are hoping to find ways to expand this technology to other food products, eventually including things like Internet connectivity so food sensors can report directly to computers or smartphone apps. Finally, we’ll able to use an actual product of science to know when our leftovers have become an actual science project of their own!

As more and more people are consuming audio like music and podcasts on the go, the need for headphones has increased. But many headphones are either easy to lose or they stop working after a short period of time. I know I’ve been stuck many times over the years having to face a long bus ride with a fully charged media player and a portable set of headphones that no longer work, no matter how much I manipulated the audio cord and connection jack. Now, getting that next pair of headphones might be as simple as firing up the nearest 3-D printer.

These headphones are the work of designer Maxime Loiseau and they use an innovative design in terms of an electronic device being created with 3-D printing. The process uses what’s called “roll to roll” manufacturing, making the parts very thin. In fact, these 3-D printed headphones are made from only eight pieces, where a typical set of phones could require up to 50 individual parts.

Since these headphones are made with “printed electronics,” there’s need for only one wire for each headphone. And if you’re worried that these headphones will sound weak, don’t. The speakers are made with piezoelectric cells that provide quality comparable to traditional headphones.

The headphones are powered by Bluetooth and they use a lithium-ion battery. The battery is also made as part of the 3-D printing process. These headphones were presented during New York Design Week 2015. They are likely to go thru some tweaking and modifications before hitting the production line. Check out this video to see the production process in action.

Personally I’m not convinced by the vision of a 3D printer in every home though I’m constantly reminded of IBM’s Thomas Watson and his alleged statement regarding the need for only five computers in the world. New Matter don’t have my doubts and are working hard to produce an affordable 3D printer for the home. Steve Schell brings in some printed objects for Don to admire.

New Matter are building an ecosystem around their new 3D printer, the MOD-t, to make life as easier as possible for owners. No experience of 3D modelling is required, with pre-made models in their online store. Some are free of charge, others cost a fee; it’s up to the designer. All the major 3D model formats are supported so keen owners can create their own designs if desired. It’s a single head printer so only one colour of plastic polymer can be used at a time, though the material can be changed during a print run. If I’m wrong and you want one in your home, the New Matter’s MOD-t 3D printer will be available in the summer for less than $400.